


Weekend in Sendai

by Melie



Series: Author's Favourites/Mélie's Sampler [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friendship, Introspection, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Making Out, Mild Language, POV Third Person, Relationship(s), Romance, Siblings, Touching, nervous bby Kei
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-12 13:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11737938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melie/pseuds/Melie
Summary: Kuroo is visiting for the first time. Two days and half, that's all they have, and not even that. They'll still make the most of it.Now if only Kei could stop panicking for a moment, it'd be great.





	1. Friday

Part of Tsukki wanted to hurry out of the gym, but he managed to take his time, to pretend this was an ordinary Friday. It wouldn't have done him any good to appear too excited, too... immature. So he took his time, neither faster nor slower than usual, and walked out with Yamaguchi at his side. His eyes immediately scanned his surroundings, until they stopped on Sugawara and Daichi and, most importantly, who they were talking to.

Kei's heart started beating faster, and he once again wondered how he was going to get through this weekend. Flirting at the training camp (doing a bit more than flirting, even), the daily phonecalls, that was one thing. But spending two days together with Kuroo, having him in his house, in his bedroom, that was another matter entirely. At one point or another, a mistake would be made, and things would go sour.

Kuroo suddenly turned around, and their eyes met.

Perhaps it would all end well after all.

Kei steadied himself before walking towards his guest, noticing the backpack on Kuroo's shoulder, as well as the small box that rested in his hand.

“Looks like my host is here!”

That they were spending the weekend together wasn't a secret, unlike the true nature of their relationship. Coach Ukai had even expressed delight in Kuroo coming over to help train his protégé, and invited him to join the Saturday practice.

Kei had had a lot of time to think about his next words, and he accompanied them with a smile.

“Long time no see.”

It had been a few weeks, after all.

“Yes. Too long.”

“We better get going,” said Sugawara. “We'll see you all tomorrow, then?”

“Can't wait! Though don't be surprised when I repeat all your strategies to my team. That's only fair, after all.”

“Then I guess we'll have to send Tsukishima down to you next time we get a weekend off,” replied Daichi.

“Naturally.”

The captains shook hands before they parted ways. Kei immediately started walking towards his house, and soon Kuroo was on his left, a hand subtly brushing against his, so quickly it might very well have been an accident. Yamaguchi went to his right side, and of course Kuroo did not waste time in acknowledging his presence:

“It's nice to see you, Yamaguchi. Are you coming with us?”

“N-not really, but my house is that way.”

“How is that serve going?”

Tsukki had thought about telling Yamaguchi, he truly had. In the end, though, he'd chosen not to. The relationship had started only recently, after all, and there was no telling where it would lead yet. And what would he have to say, anyways?

“Lost in your thoughts already, Four-Eyes?”

The hand at his side seemed ready to grab his, but it never did.

“Just thinking of today's practice.”

“Oh, so do we have you completely hooked on volleyball now?”

Was there subtext to that question? Thankfully, Yamaguchi spared him having to answer by butting in:

“Tsukki is constantly thinking things over. And I mean Constantly.”

“I know the feeling.”

“Are you getting ready for the entrance exams?”

Maybe he should have kept that question for later, for when they were alone, in case the conversation dried up.

“Actually, yes. I spent most of the train journey on my homework, and I'll probably do a bit more studying when we're over at yours. But don't worry...”

Kuroo's shoulder suddenly bumped into his.

“... you'll still have all my attention.”

“It's really nice of you to come over and help Tsukki with his blocks,” mused Yamaguchi.

For an instant, Kei wondered if he knew. His friend was far from stupid, after all, maybe he'd noticed the way he looked at Kuroo... or, presently, the way he didn't look at him. Even though Tsukki was careful to control his facial expressions when his... whatever they were, they hadn't discussed terminology, yet... when Kuroo was around, it was entirely possible that he'd slipped up. After all, it was difficult to concentrate with that intense gaze following him everywhere, with that body that constantly found ways to be against his.

“Well, I _am_ a very nice guy.”

“I... didn't mean to imply...”

“He's just messing with you, Yamaguchi.”

And suddenly, there was an arm around Kei's shoulder. The gesture felt unfamiliar; only Akiteru ever offered him such an ostentatious mark of affection, but Akiteru's grip never seemed so loose and yet so tight at the same time, so casual and yet so meaningful.

He had to calm down. Kuroo probably wouldn't be interested in someone so tense.

“But I am nice, really,” Kuroo insisted. “Besides, when someone like Four-Eyes swallows their pride and begs for help, I'm rather inclined to follow them 'til the end of the line.”

“That's not exactly how I remember it.”

“You did ask me to teach you, though.”

“There was no begging involved.”

“Okay, no begging, but there was endless admiration in your eyes whenever I did something awesome, which is only natural, and I do like to be admired.”

“Maybe you should get your eyes checked.”

The banter made him relax, somehow. That, he was used to. Especially with Kuroo. He delighted in those snarky exchanges of theirs just as much as he liked when their skin touched. It did not feel the same as teasing Kageyama or making fun of Hinata. With Kuroo, when one pushed, the other pushed back. Equal footing. And yet, however far they went, it was never too far.

So what if Kuroo had just taken him out of his comfort zone with an apparently simple and innocent gesture? Tsukki would get him back somehow, once he was relaxed enough to be able to think things through. In the meantime, there was no denying that he'd craved for that presence, for that touch, and walking this way felt nicer than he would have thought.

“And do remember that you're staying in my house in the next few days, so you better behave.”

“I'm sure Yamaguchi will welcome me if you kick me out, right Yamaguchi?”

“Uh, I-”

“Won't happen anyway, so no need to worry about it. As we've already established, I'm very nice.”

“We're here.”

They were, already. Kuroo turned to Yamaguchi, his arm leaving Tsukki's shoulder as he did so.

“See you tomorrow, then! We'll have to make sure that you're in our team if we do practice matches.”

“That'd be nice!”

Kei smiled, nodded to show his approval. He was turning towards his house when Yamaguchi stopped him.

“Tsukki?”

“Hmm?”

“Have a great evening.”

Yamaguchi was beaming, but he left before Kei had had the time to say anything in return.

Chances that he knew had just risen to about seventy five percent.

Kei decided to put the matter aside for the moment, and finally opened his front door before showing Kuroo in.

“No one home?”

“Not yet. My mother will get back in an hour or so, and my brother should join us later.”

“So...”

They had the house to themselves. Kei's heart started racing again. What was he supposed to do know?

“I got you something.”

Surprised, Tsukki looked at the box Kuroo was now handing to him. He'd somehow completely forgotten its existence.

He opened it to reveal a strawberry shortcake.

“I remembered you mentioning you liked them, and it was less conspicuous than flowers, so I thought you'd prefer that.”

“Flowers?”

“Well, yeah...”

Tetsurou's hand went to scratch the back of his head.

“I wasn't gonna show up empty-handed. Anyways, I got it on my way from the station, so it should still be good.”

“I... thanks,” Kei finally said, and gave his first fully genuine smile of the evening.

Should he kiss Kuroo now?

Why did it all suddenly seem so complicated? During the training camp, there had been no time for hesitation, each stolen moment fully taken advantage of.

“I-I'm going to put in the kitchen.”

“Sure.”

He heard Kuroo's steps behind him, following him like a shadow, yet always at a respectful distance.

“My room is upstairs.”

“Okay.”

“I-I'm going to need a shower,” he added as they were walking up.

“That's alright, I'll study while you have it.”

“Was the train journey okay?”

“Yeah, no bother at all.”

“Thanks for coming all this way.”

“My pleasure.”

They were there now. Tsukki gestured towards his desk.

“You can use it if you want.”

“Nah, looks too tidy, I'd rather not mess it up. I can work from the bed, if that's okay with you.”

“Sure.”

Kei grabbed the fresh clothes he'd left on the side of his mattress, then hesitated.

Was he supposed to get undressed here? Did Kuroo expect him to? How fast should things be going now that it was just the two of them?

He felt the pressure of a hand on his back, pushing him slightly.

“Go, then. And don't be too long to come back.”

Kei turned sharply, and finally kissed his boyfriend. (He still wasn't sure about that word, but right now they were both in his room, and he had longed for those lips on his, so accuracy could wait.)

“I missed that,” said Kuroo when they pulled away from each other. “But you still need a shower.”

“Are you trying to imply that I stink?”

“Remember, I play volleyball too, so no, I'm not. I just know that you need it. Go.”

Another kiss, quicker this time.

“Go, before I'm tempted to keep you here.”

 

* * *

 

Kei tugged at the T-shirt he'd just put on and found Kuroo on his bed, studying intently. The view seemed almost surreal – it seemed that he'd been waiting for ages for it to happen, without believing that it actually would. But Kuroo had made the trip from Tokyo, using up what little free time he had to do so, and now they were together.

“All done?”

“Yes.”

The books and laptop were put away in a matter of seconds.

“Nice room, by the way. Love the dinosaurs.”

He should probably have taken them down. They were childish. How could he not have thought of it before?

“No, seriously, I love them! No need to make that face.”

“What face?”

“You forget who my best friend is. I'm very good at reading subtle facial expressions.”

And now Kuroo was standing out, and wrapped his arms around Kei, buried his face in Kei's neck, spoke in Kei's ear.

“I really did miss you.”

“I missed you too.”

“You don't have to be so nervous, Kei. Just enjoy the moment.”

“I know.”

They remained there for a while, simply reveling in each other's presence.

“Your phone rang three or four times, by the way.”

Tsukki frowned, and forced himself to end the embrace in order to check his mobile, left on his desk. Thankfully, Kuroo wasn't too eager to break contact either, and started hugging him from the back instead.

The missed calls were not completely unexpected, but that did not diminish Kei's irritation.

“Those two idiots..”

“Let me guess: Hinata and Kageyama?”

“They're both struggling with their homework, each in a different subject. I can't believe them...”

The two texts he sent back were very straightforward, as well as identical: “No”.

“I don't even help them any more. Why did they even bother asking?”

Kageyama's answer was a simple “PLEASE”. Hinata's took longer to convey the same sentiment.

Kei didn't even bother to reply this time.

“You're only delaying the inevitable...”

“I don't care.”

The hold loosened just enough to allow him to turn around, and they started kissing again. The phone buzzed a few more times behind them, but it did not matter.

 

* * *

 

“So, you're from Nekoma.”

Kei's mother had not been back long when Akiteru had made his appearance. Kuroo turned out to be a very polite guest, instantly liked by the former. As for Kei's brother, he was apparently taking his time to appraise the stranger in his house. Tsukki could not completely blame him.

“Indeed.”

“And you're helping your rival.”

Kuroo shrugged.

“We can all learn from each other. In fact, I'd say the help I bring Tsukki is mutually beneficial.”

Akiteru beamed.

“That's neat!”

The rest of the dinner was pleasant. Most of the conversation was led by the two eldest volleyball players, while Kei and his mom listened patiently. They had the strawberry shortcake for desert (“ _How nice of you to have thought of it!_ ”), and it tasted as delicious as it looked.

“We should practice together, all three of us,” Akiteru suggested, somewhat predictably. “I'd love to see how Nekoma is holding up these days...”

“Sounds fun, I'm in. Tsukki?”

“Sure.”

“Kei, you should invite Tadashi, so we'd be two-on-two.”

“He's probably practicing with Shimada this evening, but I'll see if he's free tomorrow.”

Their tidying up was interrupted by the doorbell. Kei went himself, closely followed by his guest – they hadn't touched since before the meal and he was already missing it, which he would have found pathetic if it weren't for the glances Kuroo gave him when no one else was looking.

Tsukki didn't need to open the door to know who was behind it, as the yells could be heard from inside.

“ _I was here FIRST!_ ”

“ _Only by a few seconds!_ ”

“ _What are you even doing at Tsukishima's door? You two can't stand each other!_ ”

“ _Same goes for you!_ ”

“I think I'm just going to leave them at it. They'll get tired eventually.”

Just as he said that, one of the nuisances outside – probably Hinata, although they might have been taking turns – started ringing the bell repeatedly at a fast pace.

“Don't think that's an option,” commented Kuroo.

“No, indeed.”

Kei finally opened the door and glared at the two intruders. As he had predicted, Hinata's right hand was still on the doorbell, his left one on Kageyama's face. The King did not look much more dignified.

“What do you want.”

The killer vibes that emanated from Tsukki should have been enough to make them run away, but those two were persistent.

In an oddly synchronised move, both dropped whatever part of each other they were holding and bowed.

“Please help us with our homework!”

“You have two more days to figure it out. Just ask Hitoka, she's always happy to help you, though I don't understand why.”

“She's sick and won't be available!”

She had indeed been looking a bit pale earlier on, and Kiyoko had spent most of practice fussing over her.

“I have a guest, and better things to do than try and explain something you won't understand anyways.”

“Please!”

“We'll do anything!” added Hinata.

“Now, now.”

Kei wished Kuroo had remained out of it, but there he was, putting his arm around his shoulder again.

“How could we refuse when they ask so nicely?”

“We?”

“I'll help one, you'll take the other, we'll be done in no time. But!” he interjected as the eyes of the intruders were filling with pityful hope. “Not tonight. Come back tomorrow morning.”

“You do realise that you're inviting people to _my_ house?”

“Ah, right, sorry. I'll make it up to you.”

That last sentence had been uttered as casually as humanly possible, yet Kei had to refrain from blushing.

“Well. Alright, then, I guess.”

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

“Come back at half ten tomorrow. And don't be late.”

“We won't!” Kageyama promised.

“Not even by one minute. Or the deal is off.”

The two nuisances walked away at last, fighting over who would make it there first in the morning.

“I don't think you realise how draining this is going to be.”

“Oh, believe me, I do. Compared to Nekoma's idiots, yours are pretty harmless.”

Kei found that difficult to imagine, although he had met Lev and Yamamoto, and Kuroo was probably thinking of the whole school, not just his team.

“I hope I never find out what a worse idiot looks like.”

They moved away from the door. As Kuroo's arm went off Kei's shoulder, it had stopped around his waist for just a moment.

“So... what would you like to do this evening?”

“You tell me, you're the host.”

“And you're the guest.”

“Well... I'm guessing you have homework too, right?”

He did, and quite a lot of it at that.

“It's okay, I can take care of it on Sunday night.”

“How about we both study for a while? Then we'll see what happens.”

That idea turned out even to be even nicer than Kei would have thought. At first, it was hard to concentrate on homework with Kuroo sitting close by; hard not to stare, hard not to go and sit next to him. He got used to it eventually, just like he got used to the soft humming that came from the other side of the room.

In fact, he got so used to it that it took him a while to notice when his guest got up and stood behind him.

“You seem to be doing pretty well. And here I was hoping I could offer my help...”

“Save that for the two idiots tomorrow, you're gonna need all the patience you can get. Plus, you're already helping me enough with the blocking.”

“I do like being useful. To you, especially.”

Kei closed his books.

“I think I've had enough studying for tonight.”

“And I'm guessing that's not something you say often, right?”

There were hands on his shoulder now, massaging him. Kei tilted his head upwards and smiled.

“Looks like you've found another way to be useful.”

Kuroo leaned down for a kiss.

 

* * *

 

In the end they'd gone back to the living room to watch TV with Akiteru. Kei would have been happy to remain upstairs, but Kuroo had suggested it, and maybe it was better if they didn't spend too much time together – after all, they could very well get sick of each other. Kuroo could get sick of him. Maybe he was already? But no, his hand was brushing Kei's on the couch, so things were probably fine.

While they were downstairs, Kei's mother had set up a mattress beside his bed – the same one Yamaguchi spent so many nights on.

Kuroo immediately crashed on it, face down.

“Comfy!”

Kei smiled, but the familiar bubble of anxiety was once again stuck in his throat. He wasn't sure what was to happen now, even less sure of what he _wanted_ to happen.

“Do you usually sleep standing up?”

“Very funny.”

“Kei.”

He looked at his guest, lying on his side, resting on one elbow, his gaze intense with... what was it? Difficult to say.

“Come here.”

He obeyed, sat at the edge of the mattress, his back up against the frame of his own bed. Kuroo propelled himself up a bit, just enough to hug him.

“Kei, you do know that nothing is going to happen that you're not comfortable with, right? In fact, nothing has to happen. I mean, if you do want to have sex...”

Thankfully, the words did not bring a blush to his cheeks. At least he could tell himself he was more mature than that.

“... I've brought what we need, and I'd obviously be willing. But to be frank, I'm happy just being here with you tonight. Happier than you know. Alright? Kei, look at me.”

So he did.

“Alright?”

“Yeah, alright.”

Tsukki let out a sigh.

“You'd probably be better off with someone your age.”

“What?! Where does that come from?!”

“Less hassle, less hesitation, more experience.”

“How much experience do you think I have, exactly?”

And that's when Kei finally noticed the blush.

“Oh.”

“There. So stop worrying about it and let's just... go with the flow, alright?”

A kiss on his forehead.

“You're not letting me down, Kei. There's no way you _can_ let me down, no matter what.”

“Okay.”

“Though please don't break up with me.”

“I won't.”

They were both tired after a long day, their movements getting sluggish. It didn't matter here, not as it did on the court, even Kei was starting to realise that. Maybe he did have even more leeway than he thought.

The bubble in his throat was starting to subside.

“I should get to bed,” he muttered against Kuroo's lips.

“You probably should.”

“Come with me?”

Kisses, more kisses.

“Of course.”

He turned off the light, first.

There wasn't that much room for the two of them, but they didn't care. Kuroo wrapped his legs around Kei's – they probably wouldn't spend the whole night in this position, it could get warm after all, but it was nice for now – and once again nuzzled his head in Kei's neck.

“Kuroo...”

“Hey, I use your first name, it's only fair you should use mine.”

Tsukki chuckled.

“Tetsurou,” he said this time, burying his hand in black hair.

“Wait, just a sec.”

Kuroo, no, _Tetsurou_ moved away, just long enough to get out of his T-shirt. Kei had caught sight of his body before, glimpses here and there when they were making out or even in the Tokyo locker rooms – very briefly, as he had tried not to stare. It was different now that he had the time to fully discover it, grasp it, taste it – although he should probably have left the light on.

“There. All yours now.”

All his indeed.

And he intended on returning the favour.

“You don't have to...”

“Oh, shut up. I'm not a prude, you know.”

Kei could already feel the grin against his bare skin.

“Never said you were.”

They weren't long to fall asleep after that. Although that didn't mean they were idle.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far! I know, I know, not much plot - it's kind of the fluff version of a PWP, but I guess it's what I like to write!
> 
> [Find me on Tumblr!](meliegribouille.tumblr.com)


	2. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contains a lot of things (and people) Kei would rather not deal with, but does anyway.
> 
> Also Tetsurou can be a real (cruel) tease sometimes (all the time).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you all so much for all the kudos, comments, bookmarks and subscriptions. It really warms my heart, especially since I'm not that used to playing on the English-speaking side of fandom yet.
> 
> I've changed the spelling of Kuroo's first name to "Tetsurou" after seeing it pop up everywhere, I guess it's more accurate (I'll edit chapter 1 soon to reflect that).
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, and that it was worth the wait.

So, it _was_ his bed hair after all.

Still half asleep, Kei indulged in some good old fahioned staring. He could hardly have been blamed, given the sheer beauty of the figure beside him.

Against all odds, their bodies had remained intertwined throughout the night, although he could already feel the beginning of a cramp in his left leg – but he wasn't going to think about that right now. One half of Tetsurou's face was hidden by the pillow on which it rested, the other obscured by his hair, but Kei could still make out his features. One arm lay over the sheets, around Tsukki's chest, while the other remained under him. His legs had gone over the duvet as well – he obviously preferred cool air to the warmth of the covers.

Kei carefully lifted his hand from where it sat on Tetsurou's back, and went to move the black fringe aside as delicately as he could. A hazel eye immediately opened.

“I didn't mean to wake you,” Kei immediately apologised, flustered.

Fortunately, Tetsurou did not seem the least bothered, and positioned himself over his host, arms and legs planted on each side of his body.

“Good morning.”

They remained still for a little while. Kei could see Tetsurou's eyes studying his face, then sliding down before getting wider.

“Oh, shit.”

“What?”

Kuroo's fingers brushed the base of his neck.

“I'm sorry."

“About what?”

And then Kei got it. There was no mirror in his bedroom, so he wouldn't be able to evaluate the exact damage until he got to the bathroom, but given how hard Kuroo was trying not to laugh the hickey on his neck must have been of a considerable size.

“I hate you.”

“No you don't.”

“I absolutely do.”

Tetsurou's face leaned closer to his, and he should have denied him the kiss just to prove his point, but he'd never said he was strong.

“You're going to pay for this."

“I think I can live with that.”

Kei groaned, tried to make it sound as convincing as possible, but it only ended in another embrace. He did manage to muster enough self-control to pull away, and nearly fell off the bed as a result.

“Wow, careful!”

“If I hurt myself today, it's going to be your fault.”

“Well then...”

Again with the arms wrapped around him – how fast had Kuroo gotten out of bed?

“... I guess I'll just have to protect you.”

They did make it to the kitchen eventually, and found Akiteru ready to cook them breakfast. Kei had put on a high neck shirt and could barely keep himself from tugging the collar, under which the damage had turned out to be pretty extensive indeed. Every now and then, Tetsurou shot him a glance full of mischief and laughter, and Kei wasn't sure if he should punch or kiss him (though probably neither until they were alone again).

“So, do you guys have specific plans for today?”

“Tutoring two idiots at 10:30, practice after lunch, and then we'll be going to town for a while.”

“Town, eh? Have you been around much before, Kuroo?”

“Not really. That's why Tsukki's going to be my tour guide.”

“Sounds fun.”

“You're not coming,” Kei immediately stated.

“I know that.”

“In any case, we'll be back for dinner, and then we'll have that match with you and Yamaguchi.”

Akiteru was busy serving their food, which didn't stop him from turning his head abruptly after hearing this sentence – and nearly spilling the contents of the pan.

“So that's really happening?”

“Given that you are the one who offered it in the first place, you really shouldn't sound that surprised.”

“Oh. I guess not.”

But something had passed in Akiteru's eyes for a moment.

In other times, Tsukki would have been happy to leave it at that.

Right now, though, Kuroo was elbowing him, ensuring that he wouldn't.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing. It's just... how long has it been since we actually played together, Kei?”

He would not have been able to answer that. Although the fact that he'd stopped counting was probably an answer in itself.

As if he'd realised what kind of needlessly emotional mess he was putting them both into, Akiteru mercifully stopped with the sad face and put on a smile.

“Sorry about that, Kuroo.”

“Not to worry, it doesn't bother me one bit.”

“Now, eat up, you two.”

“Thanks for the meal!”

Akiteru seemed to hesitate for a moment, but Kei kept his eye on his brother until he finally sat with them. (He wouldn't have been able to say if that was exactly the effect he'd intended, but he could live with it.)

“So. I never found out what actually happened at that training camp of yours.”

Kei froze, the spoon he was lifting destined never to reach his mouth, or at least not for another while.

“What do you mean?” Tetsurou asked casually, as if they were not threading into dangerous territory.

“Let's just say that Kei came back slightly different. In a good way.”

“Now, let's not-”

“Tsukki, why don't we let the man speak?”

“I gather that you learned a lot from that week, Kei, and I think in a way you kinda found yourself, given that, well, we were both able to get past some things after that. I also know that you, Kuroo, became his mentor, given your presence here. So all I'm asking is: do I have you to thank for sitting at this table right now?”

“Nah. I just occasionally nudge him in the right direction, but he does all the walking himself. Right Tsukki?”

He'd put his head down, determined not to deal with this.

“Right...”

A hand on his elbow.

“... Tsukki?”

“I guess,” was all that he could mutter.

“It's not like you to be modest.”

“It's not like you either, yet here we are.”

“Now, children, children! No need to fight.”

“You're the one who started this!”

Akiteru's laughter filled the room, soon joined by Tetsurou's. Kei found himself praying that those two never team up against him.

 

* * *

 

He stood in front of the door, Kuroo's hand on his shoulder.

“ _I was there FIRST!!_ ”

“ _You cheated!! You tripped me!!_ ”

“ _I did not. You're just too slow._ ”

“ _TOO SLOW? I'M THE ONLY ONE FAST ENOUGH TO GET YOUR STUPID TOSS!!_ ”

“ _Yeah? THEN WHY HAVE I BEEN TOSSING TO EVERYONE LATELY?_ ”

“You know, if they kill each other, we'll still have to clean up the mess.”

“Akiteru's in a good mood. He'll take care of it.”

“There's another option.”

Kei frowned.

“What?”

“They could start making out right there and never stop.”

He immediately opened the door. Kageyama and Hinata's relationship finally reaching its fullest form was yet another thing he was determined not to deal with.

“Come in.”

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US!!”

“I wasn't given much of a choice,” he noted, glaring at stupid Kuroo and his stupid irresistible smirk.

The safest solution would have been to separate the two banes of his existence. However, that would have meant separating him from Tetsurou.

Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.

“We'll all work in the living room. But you two better behave or I'll kick you out myself. Now, sit down and let's get to work.”

As Kei was about to take his place next to Hinata (who pissed him off slightly less than Kageyama), Tetsurou grabbed his wrist and pulled him close, just close enough to whisper in his ear.

“You're really, really sexy when you take charge.”

Was he trying to make him blush?

He was absolutely trying to make him blush.

But Kei wasn't about to give him that satisfaction, so he swiftly sat down in front of the ginger-haired pest.

“Now,” he said, his voice deep with pent-up whatever-it-was-that-he-was-feeling. “Let's see that homework.”

At some point during the hour-long ordeal that ensued, Akiteru took it upon himself to make tea for the whole party and remained in the room for much longer than necessary, which would have been distracting enough in and of itself, but unfortunately he seemed to be observing Kei with a thoughtful look on his face, raising the status of the whole thing to Unnerving.

“What is it?” Kei finally snapped.

“Please tell me you never plan to become a teacher.”

Kuroo laughed. Again. They were going to have a conversation about that.

“Do you want to take my place?” Kei asked in the void.

“I'm just saying. You could do with some patience.”

The aura of pure wrath that emanated from him should have been enough to make them all drop dead on the spot. And yet Kuroo was still laughing, Kageyama remained dumbfounded (as if just looking at his maths homework was going to help him solve it), and Hinata seemed ready to say something which, no, please, no.

“Actually, it's true! He _could_ do with some patience!”

“That's it, I'm done.”

Books were slammed shut, and Kei was ready to leave this room, this house, this town (and if Tetsurou didn't stop laughing this instant he would not be taking him along) when Tetsurou... stopped laughing. And instead looked at him.

Oh no.

“I'm glad we've finally found something that you're actually truly bad at.”

Oh no.

“But I mean, sure, I'll tutor Shrimpy for you as soon as I'm finished with that guy. It'll be over in no time.”

Oh. No.

“Why don't you just go take a break, _Tsukki_?”

Books were opened again, and Kei set his eyes on Hinata, who jumped back and nearly fell – good, so he _did_ have a survival instinct after all.

“You,” Tsukki said, “are going to understand everything I tell you. And we,” he added, “are going to be done before they are.”

Hinata's eyes started sparkling.

 

* * *

 

“Well, see, everything turned out alright after all!”

Everything had not turned out alright after all.

First, because Kageyama had finished his homework before Hinata even got through half of his.

Secondly, because Akiteru had invited _both the idiots_ to the evening's match so they could play 3-on-3. Which, of all the stupid ideas Akiteru had ever had, was probably the stupidest.

None of this seemed to faze Tetsurou, though. They were now back in Kei's bedroom (“I need time to recover from this”, he'd insisted), and Kei was debating putting his headphones on. He didn't actually want to shut Kuroo off. But part of him needed to.

And that's when Tetsurou decided to once more show off his awesomeness by handing him the headphones himself.

“Thanks,” Kei muttered.

“Not a bother.”

In the end, Tsukki lay on his bed, music in his ears, while Tetsurou sat beside him to study some more. A combination of things which allowed him to recover in no time.

“Feeling better?” Kuroo asked as Kei eventually lifted the headphones off.

“Yeah. Much.”

“We all need that every now and then. I'm sorry, by the way.”

“You better be.”

“Is that a pout?”

“I am not pouting.”

“It's very cute,” Kuroo maintained.

“Don't you think you've had enough to apologise for this weekend?”

The laptop was put aside; Tetsurou stretched his legs and lay on his side to turn towards him. He placed his fingers on Kei's stomach before sliding them back up. Tsukki was wearing a T-shirt, but he might as well have been naked for all the good that did him.

“Maybe,” Tetsurou whispered before leaning down to nibble on his neck (had he not learned his lesson? Had neither of them learnt it? Why wasn't Kei stopping him?) “I'm just making excuses so that I can make it all up to you later.”

“It's a very shitty plan,” Kei dissented (he was not panting, he was not).

“Do you really think so?”

Fuck.

“Shut. Up.”

The only remaining solution was to outdo him.

It took a bit of maneuvering, but Kei ultimately managed to find himself sitting on top of Tetsurou's chest, pinning his hands down against the mattress.

“One word: hot.”

“I said shut up.”

“You're kind of undermining my master plan there. Please continue.”

“Shut up or I'll make you.”

“Will you now?”

He would. He'd find a way. He definitely would.

Tsukki leaned down and got to work on Tetsurou's neck – an eye for an eye and all that. He waited patiently for the moans, finally obtained them, and immediately switched spot. He let go of those damn hands, grabbed the bottom of Kuroo's T-shirt and proceeded to pull it over his neck – Tetsurou was way too accomodating, but Kei was willing to overlook it. He even opted to leave his hands free to roam on his back and in his hair, although he would not let Kuroo pull off his top, if only to maintain some appearance of a control that he definitely did not have any more.

He followed Tetsurou's collar bone with his lips, before getting lower and...

“GUYS! LUNCH IS READY!”

Shit.

Shit shit SHIT.

“Shit,” they both said.

 

* * *

 

Lunch went fine, especially after the two of them had rushed to the bathroom to splash their faces with cold water – a whole shower would have been better, but they lacked the time for that. When they finally got to the table, Kei was pretty sure that they looked “normal”, and in complete control of their own bodies. Kuroo did, anyways. And that damn blush on his own face _had_ to have faded by now.

If Akiteru noticed anything, he kept his mouth shut.

“Let me know if you need a lift back from town,” he said later, watching them leave.

“Alright.”

They started walking, soon to be joined by Yamaguchi. He and Tetsurou were officially getting along, although the latter still had to initiate most of their conversations. Somewhere along the way, they met with the second years. Tanaka immediately proceeded to tease Kuroo on “switching sides” and “working with the enemy” (thankfully, that was the exact expression he chose to use), while Nishinoya boasted on Karasuno's abilities.

They were right in front of the gym when Tetsurou held Kei back, once again using his now famous arm-around-shoulder-move that really didn't look suspicious at all, just friends being friends.

“You know,” he said, his arm around Kei's shoulder, “I'm actually really looking forward to this part.”

“Because you're secretly spying for Nekoma?”

“Because I haven't gotten to see you play in weeks.”

“Well. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.”

“Also I'm secretly spying for Nekoma.”

“Nice to see you, Kuroo!”

They turned to coach Ukai who'd just arrived behind them, Shimizu and Takeda on his trail. Tetsurou and him shook hands.

“How is old Nekomata doing?”

“Fine. He said to pass along his regards to your grandfather.”

“Of course he did.”

Soon, warm up began. It was strange, having Kuroo in this familiar environment, maybe even stranger than bringing him to his house. He fitted well in this place, listened to Ukai as if he'd been his own coach, interacted with everyone in the team as if he'd always trained there with them. Kei could have almost convinced himself that this was the way things had always been, and would always be.

Then he remembered that Tetsurou would not be attending their next practice, nor any of the ones after that. He felt his heart clench, tried to resist the urge to count the hours they had left until the bullet train, and failed miserably.

“You okay?”

Tetsurou had put his hand in Kei's back, a comforting gesture he'd done a few times at the training camp, even before the whole kissing thing had started.

“You can really make it look like you belong anywhere.”

“Nah. Just trying to get Karasuno to put its guard down.”

Kuroo let go of him after this latest quip, perhaps sensing that now was not the time to press the matter further.

They practiced receives next.

“Well that brings back memories!” Kuroo exclaimed as he dived.

“ROOOOOLLING THUNDER!!!!!”

“Nishinoya, stop trying to impress our guest.”

“But coaaaaaaach!”

Finally, ater a few rounds of serving, they got to the practice match.

“Kuroo, since you're here, you might as well lead team A. Daichi, you'll be in charge of team B. I'll let you pick your players for once. However, since there's thirteen of you, we'll need to balance things off. Each team will have an extra player they can switch with. In the case of team B, that extra player will be me.”

“So you're letting the enemy lead a team but won't go as far as to join it?”

“Yes, Kuroo, I believe that sums it up. Now, why don't you pick your first player?”

“Yamaguchi.”

Tsukki rose an eyebrow, but no one seemed as surprised as Tadashi himself.

“M-me?”

“Didn't I say I'd make sure you were on my team?”

“I'll get Suga.”

“Tsukki.”

Another surprise given Kuroo's previous move: Kei'd thought he was going to leave him until last in order to tease him. Nevertheless, he took his place next to Yamaguchi.

“Asahi.”

“Kageyama.”

They did need a setter, after all, so Kei was not going to complain about Kuroo's choice.

“Hinata.”

Daichi obviously didn't want the freakish duo working against him, and Tsukki could not blame it.

“Nishinoya."

“Narita.”

“Tanaka.”

“Ennoshita.”

“Kinoshita, thanks for joining team A.”

It was always surprising to note that Kuroo knew the names of all the players in Karasuno. Kei wouldn't have thought he'd remember Kinoshita, for instance.

With Hinata and all the third years in team B, without even mentioning the coach, it was a good thing theirs had a strong defense. Kei nearly suspected that Daichi had let them have Tanaka out of pity.

“Right, team A, let's talk.”

“If you're about to give us that speech of yours...”

“Nope, sorry Tsukki, that's for Nekoma only.”

“But that speech is so cool!”

“Thanks, Nishinoya. But all I have to say to you guys is...”

A smile. Smug. Confident. And very attractive.

“... let's crush them.”

In the end, the crushing was pretty much mutual.

“I've missed that,” Tetsurou declared after they succeeded in their first block together, the ball falling mercilessly behind Hinata. To Kei, not much had ever felt more glorious indeed, so he had no trouble in admitting he felt the same.

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Yamaguchi, nice serve!”

Unlike earlier on during that practice, when Tetsurou had seemed to blend into Tsukki's life, here his presence seemed to change the whole dynamic of volleyball. It was slightly similar to what Kei had experienced at the training camp, jumping next to someone he was growing to admire, following his every move and trying to learn from them.

This time, though, he was not just following, and their bond had evolved. He found himself unable to forget Kuroo's presence, knew that he'd always be there on the court next to him, that they'd be blocking as one, or both able to receive, to spike. To turn the match to their advantage, each relying on the other's skill. He felt secure, not only in their respective skills, but in their combined force.

Oddly enough, having that connection to the person at his side made him more aware of everyone else around him. Kei thought of Yamaguchi, and for the first time in a while, was able to appreciate how much he liked playing next to his friend. To say that he did not feel that strongly about anyone else in the team would have been the understatement in the year, and yet those bonds too were slowly evolving.

It was a gradual change, still in its beginning, and perhaps it had started even before the training camp. Although Tokyo had definitely been a turning point.

Yes, Kei thought as he spiked Kageyama's toss and earned them another point: his life was nothing like it had been before he'd joined that club, and very unlike what he'd imagined it would become.

“You're thinking too loud,” Kuroo teased him.

“I just scored.”

“Just let yourself enjoy this!”

“Like you're not constantly making your own calculations.”

“Perhaps, but at least I'm smiling while doing it!”

As predicted, team B's offense was absolutely ruthless. Hinata might not have been able to do his freakish quick, but that did not diminish his speed in any way – thankfully, he still sucked at receives. Daichi and Asahi led a lot of the attacks, not all of them stoppable. Suga was as cunning as always, while Narita and Ennoshita seemed to have no trouble following their elders. As for coach Ukai, he seemed comfortable enough taking on any role when he was called on the court, not just that of a setter.

Most of team A's points were marked by either Tanaka's spikes or Kuroo's ruthless hard blocks, which did not mean the rest of the team remained idle either. Nishinoya was always ready to send the ball back up, Kageyama's toss slowly grew in accuracy, Yamaguchi's floating serve showed marks of improvement while Kinoshita, who rotated in every so often, did not fare badly either.

The set ended on a deuce, which team B finally broke with one of Asahi's back row attacks. Players shook hands, and Tsukki went to wrap a towel around his neck while Kuroo chatted with the third years, including Shimizu. Yamaguchi joined Kei to the sides, taking big gulps of water before talking.

“You seem to be having a good time.”

“I am.”

There was no point in denying it.

“Did everything go okay last night?”

“What are you asking?”

“Well... just that. I mean...”

Yachi was getting ready to toss some balls for Kageyama and Hinata, who always stayed after practice this way – Kei wondered if they'd be too tired for their match later, before concluding that there was no way the world would ever do him such a favour. Most of the second years had gone to get changed or were about to do so, with only Nishinoya staying behind, currently in conversation with both Ukai and Takeda.

“He is nice.”

It seemed that Yamaguchi had finally found his words again.

“Kuroo,” he added. “Kuroo”s nice.”

“I know who you're referring to.”

“What I'm trying to say is... you could do worse, Tsukki.”

So there was that.

Kei turned his head towards his oldest friend and observed him for a while. Yamaguchi's eyes wouldn't meet his, instead focusing on the opposite side of the gym. There was a slight blush on his cheeks, and he was holding that bottle of water pretty tight.

“You're right,” said Kei.

“I am?”

“Yeah. No need to get so worked out over it.”

“Sure. If you ever want to-”

“Please don't finish that sentence.”

Yamaguchi was smiling, though, and Kei ended up doing the same.

 

* * *

 

“This is the part where you let me know what you want to see in town.”

They'd changed and showered fast, and were now heading out of Karasuno High.

“That,” Kuroo stated, “is an excellent question.”

“Do you mean to tell me you haven't thought it over?”

“I had other things on my mind. You do realise I didn't exactly come here for the scenery, right?”

“Please tell me you looked through a guide, at least.”

“Why would I when I have such a great guide right here?”

Kei sighed, but Tetsurou just smiled before continuing:

“You know, we don't actually have to visit anything. I'd be just happy just spending time with you, like, maybe going to the cinema or something. And we can keep the tourist spots for the next time. I promise I'll have done my research by then.”

Next time. Yes, there would be a next time.

“Or you can show me your favourite places in the city.”

Kei weighed his options. Sure, he could walk Tetsurou through various parts of Sendai, but where to start? He should have planned an itinerary. Better: he should have made sure they had an actual program for the afternoon rather than just rely on Kuroo's curiosity.

Or they could just sit in a theater together for two hours and save their energy for the evening. Which would not involve as many decisions. But wouldn't that be a waste of their time together? They only had a little over twenty-three hours left now, a few of which would be spent sleeping. Wasn't it better if they did something that involved talking? Or should they reserve that for later?

Tetsurou's voice interrupted his thoughts, as it often did.

“Okay, okay, I know. How about you just walk me downtown and we see what happens there?”

“Fine.”

“And I do swear I'll have something planned next time.”

“I should have done some planning myself.”

“It's fine, Kei. Don't worry about it.”

It took him a while to stop worrying, but he eventually did. They walked side by side down the streets, stopping every now and then, usually because Tetsurou was laughing over something or another and needed to catch his breath – Kei occasionally joined in, but mostly observed.

Downtown, Kuroo took a picture of the arcade which he immediately sent to Kenma. He also insisted they stopped for a snack at a bakery, and treated Kei to yet another strawberry shortcake. They wandered around in shops, exchanging information about their favourite brands, especially when they walked into a sports equipment store. They also spent a long time browsing through CDs, Kei taking a mental note of all the bands Kuroo seemed interested in, adding to the list started during their phone calls.

The end of the afternoon went fast, much faster than Tsukki would have liked. Perhaps it wasn't what others would have qualified as a date, and he was slightly surprised that they actually managed to keep their hands off each other for most of the time. At least, it confirmed once and for all that their relationship wasn't purely physical, and the void he sometimes felt could be filled by words as well as touch. Even in the few times when touching would probably have been a possibility.

“This was really cool,” Kuroo declared as they were walking back to Kei's home. “Like really, really cool.”

“Yes, it was.”

“We'll have to go to the cinema next time though.”

“Why?”

“'Cause I'd love a movie date with you.”

“You better pick a good movie then.”

“Trust me, I'll find something.”

Their match with Yamaguchi and the duo from Hell was planned for after dinner. The evening seemed destined to remain dry, and the temperatures should not rise too high. Akiteru had already set up the net by the time they went home.

“I'm guessing it'll be the two of you plus Tadashi versus Hinata, Kageyama and me?” he asked a bit before they had their meal.

“Actually, I think we should switch things around a bit. Kuroo and I will play on opposite teams this time. He can take the idiots.”

“Ooooh, have you missed losing against me that much?”

He could see that Tetsurou was delighted, though, even going as far as licking his lips. Kei turned his focus back to Akiteru, who remained oddly silent. He sighed.

“Please don't make a big deal out of this.”

“I'm not,” Akiteru answered, a soft smile blossoming on his face.

“This,” Kuroo said, “is going to be fun.”

 

* * *

 

Amongst the many things Kei Tsukishima did not think would ever happen in his lifetime, Hinata jumping up and down in his garden ranked pretty high.

“This is gonna be great!!”

“So you really like volleyball?” Akiteru inquired.

“Why did you have to ask him that?”

At least Kageyama was quieter. It wouldn't last, though – at some point or another, Hinata would do something to rile him up, and then the whole neighbourhood would get to hear their argument.

Yamaguchi was currently stretching next to Tsukki.

“I'm not sure we stand much chances, between them and Kuroo...”

“We probably don't,” Kei admitted.

He wasn't really sure why he had wanted the teams set up this way. Although the main reason probably was the one he'd given to Akiteru: he wanted to face Kuroo. See how that bond they had on the court transformed once they stood on opposite sides of the net.

He would probably lose, yes. Which didn't mean he'd make it easy for the trio from hell. He had too much pride for that.

Tetsurou finally made his entrance, clad in his black sports gear, looking absolutely regal. He'd slipped a hand under his T-shirt to scratch some spot on his chest, revealing his abs – a blatant set-up, all for Kei's benefit.

Hinata immediately ran up to him.

“What's our strategy, captain?!!”

“Don't ask him in that front of the other team, dumbass!!!”

A smirk, directed towards Kei once again.

“The strategy is pretty straightforward: we win.”

“Good luck with that!!”

Surprised to hear such spirit in his brother's voice, Tsukki did not hesitate to join him.

“Akiteru's right. Don't underestimate us.”

“Oh, Tsukki, I never would.”

They took their places a few minutes later, Kei at the front, Akiteru covering the back, Yamaguchi taking the first serve. Just before they started, Tetsurou walked up to the net and placed his hand on it, his face close, and winked, sending a shiver down Kei's spine.

Ideas in his head, strategies to respond to that obvious provocation and switch things around, all impracticable: taking off his own shirt and playing the match topless, kissing Tetsurou through the net, pushing him, punching him even. Kei opted to simply take a deep, deep breath instead.

Yamaguchi served. A jump float attempt, that failed to pass the net. Akiteru picked it up at the last second, bringing a smirk to Tsukki's face.

Oh, this was going to be good.

It took Kuroo three rounds to get used to Akiteru's spikes, after which things started to get more even. At 3-2, however, Hinata failed his serve, bringing the ball back to Kei's team. The advantage switched camps often after that.

The Tsukishimas' garden was not as big as an actual court, and that took some getting used to as well. It had been a while since they'd had a match in it – Kei's legs had been much smaller then. By the time his team reached the double digits (Kuroo's only one point behind) however, they all knew it like the back of their hands. One upside was that Hinata lacked momentum for his most hellish quick, although Kageyama was not long to compensate by adjusting his toss.

They'd reach the middle of the match when Tetsurou, once again one point behind, decided to bring the unfairness to a whole new level. Eyes fixated on Kei, he put his hand on his forehead and lifted up the fringe that had taken permanent residence there, bringing it to the top of his head and revealing his whole face. His whole stupid fucking face. With that stupid fucking grin on it. And those stupid fucking eyes that just wouldn't leave him.

Kei forced himself to take another deep breath. Playing topless was really getting tempting, but he'd come to realise that such extremes were probably what Tetsurou was striving for.

Instead, he decided to lie through his teeth.

“If you think this is going to be enough to distract us, you're clearly overestimating how handsome you are.”

“Me, trying to distract you? As if I'd need to resort to such cheap tactics.”

“Come on boys, less chatting and more playing!!”

Akiteru was giving it his all. Althought there remained a certain awkwardness between them (some things simply could not be fixed in a day, or even in a few weeks), he was proving himself to be a most reliable teammate. He worked really well with Yamaguchi, and spent a lot of time encouraging him. He also cheered on Kei and tapped him on the shoulder every time they scored – he'd attempted a high-five when Kei's first hard block had succeeded, but was denied it.

Funnily enough, it's only when they reached 20-19 that Tsukki revised his earlier estimates, realising that there was a strong chance they'd win the set. Even when Kuroo's team caught up to them and made a break, they took the point back immediately.

Unlike the afternoon's set, this one did not end on a deuce. The last point was the hardest to obtain however, with Kuroo constantly blocking their spikes. But Akiteru would never fail to pick the ball back up, allowing Kei or, in the last instance especially, Yamaguchi to toss it back, before one of them attempted another spike. In the end, it was Akiteru who scored.

“OOOOOH THAT WAS BRILLIANT!!! LET'S DO IT AGAIN!!!”

“You're overstaying your welcome,” Kei stated, catching his breath – which was all because of the match they'd just played and had nothing to do with Testurou lying down in the grass, his shirt up to his navel.

“YOUR SPIKES ARE THE BEST!!!”

“Kei, please become friends with the shrimp. He needs to come over more often.”

“No.”

“You were really good.”

“Kei, please become friends with that guy too.”

“No.”

They did play another set however, which Tsukki's team also won 25-23. Then, it was time for everyone to leave.

Hinata and Kageyama were gone first, after the former had made Kuroo promise to give Kenma his best. Yamaguchi only stayed a few minutes longer, also taking the time to part with Tetsurou. As he left, though, he waved at Kei, with the warmest smile on his face.

“I'll have my shower last,” Akiteru stated. “This way you guys don't have to wait.”

Kei went first, happy to get rid of the sweat and smell. Images from the match, and from the last twenty-something hours, swirled in his mind. The countdown to Tetsurou's departure also loomed there, making him want to punch the wall.

He came back to his bedroom with a simple towel wrapped around his waist. The look on Kuroo's face was worth all the hesitation that had preceded that move.

“Okay,” Tetsurou said without moving, his books still on his lap. “I guess I deserved that.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” Kei replied while seemingly browsing through his drawers.

“And I deserved that too. You're stunning by the way.”

The still wet curls had water dripping down his neck. He should have dried his hair before coming back, but it was more time-effective to do it while Tetsurou showered.

“Like, drop dead gorgeous.”

“My brother is waiting for the bathroom, so you should hurry.”

“While you be dressed when I come back?”

“I guess,” Kei said, finally looking straight at him, “you'll have to find out.”

He knew Tetsurou could be fast, but that must have been the quickest shower ever taken. When he came back, closing the door behind him, Kei had indeed not changed out of the towel, and was lying on his bed, music in his ears to try and drown the noise of his thoughts and hesitations. Tetsurou sat beside him, wearing shorts and nothing else, and gently lifted the headphones off.

“So,” he started. “The thing is: I've been waiting all day to be able to make out with my boyfriend. Do you think we could do that now?”

Boyfriend. It turned out to be as simple as placing it in a sentence.

Kei nodded.

“That does seem possible.”

“I mean.” Only the tip of Kuroo's hair was wet, but a few drops fell on Kei's chest as he leaned down, causing a shiver or two. “I know you have a busy schedule. And I really wouldn't want to intrude.”

“Just kiss me already.”

It was gentler than Tsukki had expected, especially given how frantic they'd been earlier and how much they'd both wanted this. Tetsurou's hands rested at each side of his face, stroking his cheek. He tasted of toothpaste – but then, so did Kei, probably.

“We only have one night left,” Tsukki finally whispered against his lips, prompting Kuroo to pull away slightly.

“No we don't, silly. We have lots.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I'm leaving _Sendai_ tomorrow, not _you_. And again, just so you know, I'm prefectly happy leaving it as is. Making out is hot.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Right?

“Right.”

They kissed again, this time not even opening their mouths. Just the touch of lips. Tender. And warm.

The more Tetsurou made sure he wasn't pressuring Kei into anything, the safer he made him feel, the more his hesitations vanished.

“Tetsurou,” he said.

And brought him closer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to specify that, in spite of all appearances, I actually really, really love both Hinata and Kageyama. The way they're treated in this fic is entirely due to, well, Tsukki being Tsukki.


	3. Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All good things must come to an end.
> 
> But it doesn't have to be bad.

Maybe they should not have slept at all. Sleeping made the hours fly by, and now there were only six or seven left, at most. He should have put the alarm on. Even if they didn't get out of bed, even if they just recreated the night's experiences for a while, or even if they just lay there talking, at least they'd have time together.

More time.

It wasn't fair.

As if he was having the same thought, Tetsurou tightened his embrace. Would Kei ever be able to sleep alone in that bed again?

A muffled “'morning” against his skin. A hand that reached for his.

“Morning,” he replied.

“How are you?”

“Fine. You?”

“Tired. But I don't care. You know why?”

“Because I'm with you?”

“Yup. 'Cause you're with me.”

It took them a while to get up and disentangle their bodies (not exactly in that order).

The shower felt weird. As if he was washing away every clue that Tetsurou had ever touched him. As if all of that night together, from its awkward moments to its more pleasurable ones, was slipping off his skin and going down the drain. A betrayal of sorts.

He reminded himself that there would be other nights. And that they'd probably be even better. That settled him for a while.

When he came back out, Tetsurou was sitting on his bed, holding one the T-shirts he'd worn the day before, a slight hint of embarrassment on his face.

“Now don't worry, it's not one I used for practice. That'd be gross.”

“What-”

That's when Kei realised Kuroo was handing it to him.

“But-”

“I mean, you don't have to take it, but I just thought that, well, it smells of me and all, so.”

A small chuckle, hand lifting up to scratch his neck.

“Sorry, that was probably stup-”

“No. It's not. I'll take it.”

It took all Kei had not to bring the T-shirt to his face and inhale it straight away.

“Give me a minute.”

He put it on his chair, then went back to the bathroom and fumbled in the laundry basket until he found what he was looking for.

“Here. If... you want it, that is.”

“You sure? You don't have to-”

“I'm sure. Take it.”

The way Tetsurou handled Kei's own used T-shirt was sweet. As if it were something precious. He folded it neatly and put it in his bag, prompting Kei to notice he'd used that time to pack.

 

* * *

 

Both Kei's mom and Akiteru usually slept in on Sundays, which meant he and Tetsurou had the kitchen for themselves, for a little while at least. Kuroo stayed close by as Kei cooked, most often hugging him from behind and placing his head on his shoulder.

“I could get used to this,” he whispered. “You cooking for me.”

“I never pictured you as lazy.”

“It's not laziness. I just like it, that's all. You, me, a kitchen, a nice meal. Although I haven't tasted it yet, so maybe its not that nice.”

“You won't get anything to eat if you're rude.”

“Oh.”

A kiss on his cheek.

“I'm so...”

Another on his jawline.

“... so...”

A hand under his shirt.

“... terribly sorry.”

“Distracting me is not a good idea right now.”

“Am I distracting you? I never realised...”

“Tetsurou, stop.”

“Okay.”

The hands left immediately.

“Can I still hug you?”

“I'm nearly finished.”

“I'll set the table and hug you later then.”

They sat close to each other as they ate. Kei tried to take in as much information as he could, from the way Tetsurou lifted his glass to how he licked the corner of his mouth to get the egg yolk off it.

“The way you're staring at me, it feels like you're feeding on my good looks. Didn't realise _I_ was supposed to be your breakfast.”

Kei went to look away, but Tetsurou's hand was already gently turning his face back towards him.

“Hey there. Didn't say you should stop. I love to be admired, remember?”

Tsukki leaned in before really thinking about it – by now, he'd just accepted that this sort of things just _happened_ when Kuroo was around – and their lips met.

“Oh, so now I really am your breakfast,” Tetsurou noted when he pulled back.

“You should really learn to shut up, you know.”

“You don't mean that.”

“No, I don't,” he sighed.

There was noise upstairs – someone getting up. They shifted positions slightly, putting a more respectable distance between them. Under the table, however, Tetsurou's hand would remain on Kei's lap for a while, as if to not break contact. Kei didn't mind.

 

* * *

 

They spent the late hours of the morning practicing. After all, that had been the excuse for Kuroo's presence. They started with mirror blocking, where Kei had to imitate Tetsurou's movements. They worked at a fast pace, only stopping for instructions or minor adjustments in Kei's position.

Akiteru eventually joined them in the garden, and was instantly recruited by Kuroo to toss a ball that would land on the net, prompting jousting matches between the two blockers to see who could push it through. It took some practice before they could even get the ball where they wanted, but they did manage it eventually. Tetsurou won the vast majority of the matches. He grinned every time they faced off, as if there was nothing else he'd rather be doing. Their bodies were so close, then, and Kei should really have gotten used to this feeling by now, but it caught him every time, not enough to distract him, but enough that he'd notice.

“Next time, I could bring you two to practice with the Kaji Wild Dogs,” Akiteru offered while they stopped for water.

“Oh, yeah, I'd love that! It's always fun going against adults. Have you been yet, Tsukki?”

“No.”

“I've invited him, but he hasn't taken me up on it.”

“Yet.”

Akiteru nodded.

“Right. Should we do some more?”

They kept at it for another hour before finally stopping. As he went back upstairs, Kei once more felt the pressure of his countdown. They wouldn't be too long to have lunch now, and then, maybe an hour after that, they'd start walking to the station.

As soon as they left, they wouldn't have any safe space any more. They wouldn't be able to touch any more, or not much. They wouldn't be able to hug, to kiss, to taste. No holding hands along the way. Maybe someday they would, Kei thought, maybe someday he'd be brave enough. But he wasn't on that day. There were people he could meet. Classmates. Teammates. He wasn't ready to face that yet. So that was it: the moment they stepped out of his bedroom for the last time, they'd have to start getting used to the distance, even though they'd still be in the same town for another while.

The thoughts nearly stopped him on the spot. He opened his bedroom door and tried to calm himself down, but his breathing had shortenend.

“Hey.”

Of course Tetsurou had noticed. He noticed everything.

“Hey, hey. Kei, look at me.”

“Close the door first.”

“Sure.”

He waited for the clack behind him, then turned. There were no tears in his eyes, just that lump in his throat.

He hated it.

He wasn't even able to enjoy the time they were spending together, all focused on how it would end soon.

He absolutely hated it.

And hated himself for it.

“I'm not okay with it either, Kei.”

For once, Tetsurou wasn't touching him. He just stood in front of him, fists closed, head slightly down but still trying to meet his eyes. Kei eventually let him.

“But I did manage to come here this weekend, right? So there'll be others. There'll have to be. And I'll keep calling you. It's not as if I could forget you.”

He did not want to be having this discussion. It was sappy and overemotional and there were so many other things that they could have been doing. He really didn't have the time to feel sorry for himself. Tetsurou hadn't even left yet. He should have kept all this for later.

“Come on, talk to me.”

“There's nothing to say.”

His voice was sore, suddenly. He'd been fine minutes before, when they were in the garden, why was it all dawning on him now? Why did he have to wreck everything?

“Are you afraid we won't make it? Do you think the distance will be too much?”

“I just don't want you to leave.”

He breathed in and out, heavy, raspy breaths, adverting his eyes from Tetsurou once more. He felt the need to punch a wall again, maybe until his knuckles started bleeding, yes, maybe that would do it then.

“I know.”

Finally, they embraced, they touched, they kissed.

“I know.”

They landed on the bed, made these moments theirs. They couldn't erase the sadness, only push it away, so they did just that. Skin on skin, lips on lips. Stroking nibbling kissing. Looking into each other's eyes for longer than should have been comfortable. Making out and then resting, simply resting together, and maybe it was a waste of time but maybe it wasn't, because in the end it was just the two of them, holding each other, just the two of them and if time couldn't stop for them, they'd just make these moments theirs.

After a while, they started talking again.

“So, just to make sure I've got the right idea: on a scale of one to ten, how much do you like dinosaurs?”

“I am not answering that.”

“Because it's a ten?”

“Because it's a stupid question.”

“You ask me one then.”

“I don't have any.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Fine.”

Kei thought it over for a moment ( _on a scale of one to ten, how much do you like me?_ ), eventually settling on something pretty safe.

“The personal time difference attack. How did you pick it up?”

“Really, we're talking strategies now?”

“It's still a better question than yours.”

“I liked mine, though.”

“Tough.”

“And people say _I_ 'm the meanie.”

“Do you plan on ever answering me?”

“Yes, I do, because unlike you I'm all for the exchange of information. So, I used to watch all these volleyball matches when I was a kid. That's how I got into it. Just saw it on TV and thought it was cool, and from then on I refused to watch anything else. I can let you imagine what my parents thought of that. Well, same thing goes with the personal time difference attack. Saw it, thought it was cool, started practicing it with Kenma.”

“You already knew him then?”

“Oh yeah, Kenma and I go way back. He's my next-door neighbour. We hit it off instantly.”

“Somehow I doubt Kozume would corroborate that story.”

“Fine, I may have scared him to death a couple of times. But we got along, I learned to give him his space and he learned to deal with my... enthusiasm.”

“In other words, he learned to put up with you and ignore you when necessary.”

“I have no idea what you mean by that.”

In spite of all his quips, Kei could imagine them, a small Tetsurou and a tiny Kozume, practicing together in a back garden. Kuroo making sure to slow down and go at his friend's pace. Kozume taking it all in, slowly honing his skills before becoming a formidable setter.

“Was it like that with you and Yamaguchi?”

“No.”

Kei nearly stopped there, but in the end decided not to.

“He wasn't my neighbour. We met in school. He was being bullied.”

He waited for Tetsurou to say something.

“I didn't help him.”

Still nothing, at first. And then:

“Somehow, I doubt Yamaguchi would corroborate that story.”

“They stopped, but I did nothing to actually _help_ him. He followed me after that, for some reason. I got used to him being there.”

It was the truth, as cold as it sounded.

“Once again, Kei, I don't think you give yourself enough credit.”

“Maybe you just have a permanent blindspot when I'm concerned.”

“Well you better get used to it, because I feel that we're going to have this conversation a lot.”

“Unless I find ways to keep you from talking.”

“Oooooooh, nice. But as interesting as that sounds, don't think I'll be so easily swayed.”

They were called for lunch then. They put their respective tops back on, Tetsurou leaving a trail of kisses in Kei's back before allowing him to do so.

The countdown was still going. But at least Kei was able to breathe now.

 

* * *

 

The door closing behind them was the most final sound Kei had ever heard.

He'd stood aside while Akiteru and his mom bid their farewells to Tetsurou, welcoming him to come back any time. His mother had had an exceptionally bright smile on her face. Perhaps she was happy to see someone other than Yamaguchi for once. Happy that her son was finally learning to socialise.

Akiteru and Tetsurou had exchanged a fist-bump, which prompted Kei to raise an eyebrow. He still wasn't sure how he felt about those two getting along so well. Not that he would have wanted them to _hate_ each other either. But Kuroo made it look so _easy_ , being around Akiteru, that it only brought Kei back to his own uneasiness towards his brother, even though they were progressively mending things.

His thoughts led him back to the day before, and how Tetsurou had seemed to blend in with the team, how happy he'd been to talk with pretty much everyone, especially when said talk involved a bit of teasing.

They were simply made of a different stock. Had it manifested in anyone else, that amount of confidence and sociability would probably have annoyed Kei to no end – not that it didn't annoy him at all.

“What are you thinking of?”

“How annoying you are.”

“Charming.”

“And how I still manage to put up with you.”

“Ah, yes. It must be puzzling. The power of love...”

Kei nearly choked. On nothing but air. Which would have been quite the feat.

Tetsurou immediately patted his back.

“Now, now, no need to put yourself in such a state...”

“You're something alright,” Kei said, still catching his breath.

“Well, right back at you.”

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean, you've never seen _Jurassic Park_?”

“I have no interest in dumb movies.”

“But you love DINOSAURS!”

“One, we have never established that I do, in fact, love them that much. Two, enjoying either the idea, or, even, the very real archeological implications of dinosaurs does not guarantee that one could appreciate a work of fiction about-”

“We're watching it. Together.”

“No.”

“You'll _love_ it.”

“I am certain that I will not.”

“Oh, you're going to pretend that you hate it, and it'll take a lot of skill to finally get the truth out of you, but even if I don't, I'll still know.”

“That is called being delusionnal.”

“Protest all you want, we're watching it next time. Even if it's not at my house, I'll bring the DVD here or to the training camp and I'll strap you to a couch.”

“By now, I've pretty much figured out that you'd be incapable of such a thing.”

“I'll get Hinata to follow you around like a shadow until you sit your pretty ass down and watch it. Does that sound more like me?”

“... it does.”

“Then it's sorted. You, me, _Jurassic Park_ date. It's going to be so much fun.”

“...”

 

* * *

 

“Wanna talk about last night?”

“... _we're in the middle of the street_.”

“I meant the volleyball match, Tsukki. No need to be so dirty-minded.”

“You-”

“Okay, okay, sorry! I was joking! I won't do it again, I swear! Well, not that specific joke anyway! Please stop glaring at me!”

 

* * *

 

“What do you plan on doing for your birthday?”

“Nothing.”

“I must have heard it wrong. I thought you just said 'nothing'.”

“It's a school day, Kuroo.”

“Aaaand?”

“I'm also not a party kind of person.”

“Oh, that I got alright. But aren't you going to at least celebrate it with the club?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because it's your _birthday_. I'm not saying to turn the gym into a dancefloor. But cake and presents? _Strawberry shortcake_ and presents?”

“For that, they'd need to know the date. And Yamaguchi will never betray me.”

“I see.”

“Who are you texting.”

“No one.”

“Are you texting Kenma?”

“Now why would I be doing that?”

“Are you texting Kenma so that he tells Hinata when my birthday is?”

“It's not like _you_ 're going to tell him.”

“Please don't.”

“Is it a getting old thing?”

“It's a 'I don't like people making a fuss' thing.”

“You deserve a fuss, though.”

“Testurou. Please.”

“Fine. I won't send it. Plus they've probably found it out by themselves already.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because you're their _teammate_ , dummy.”

“...”

“Will you begrudge me if I send you something for your birthday?”

“It's not like I can stop you.”

“You'll love it.”

“Please, not a _Jurassic Park_ DVD.”

“Of course not. That's for our date.”

 

* * *

 

They walked and talked thus most of the way, only hopping on to a bus towards the end of their trip. They stayed close, and for a while Kei even thought that Kuroo would put his arm around his shoulder, maybe under the pretense of showing him something on his phone, but he didn't. Their conversation was subsiding at that point, and so they simply stood next to each other, looking out the window as the city got denser around them.

They stepped down at Sendai station, less than fourty minutes before Tetsurou's train was bound to depart.

The countdown was reaching its end.

Only a few more minutes to grasp.

“There's still time,” Tetsurou said. “Wanna grab a coffee or something?”

“Not if it's too busy.”

“I'm not going to miss it, Tsukki.”

“I know. But it's better to be safe.”

They found a café that seemed relatively quiet and stood in the line. Kei forced himself to look at the board, tried to think of his order, but the words were getting blurry. He took off his glasses, wiped them on his T-shirt, wiped his eyes while he was at it (they were dry, but tired) and tried again, to no avail. His eyesight wasn't the issue there.

“Sorry,” he muttered before making a U-turn, nearly bumping into Tetsurou as he did so.

He kept walking, conscious that he was being followed. He kept walking and exited the station, swerved around the corner of a building.

Finally turned back towards Tetsurou, grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall (not too hard, not too soft either).

Kissed him. A soft “I can't” before another kiss, deeper, longer. Hands in that stupid bed-hair and on that stupid face. Stupid hands on each side of his own face.

“I can't,” again, in between-breaths.

And Tetsurou was not saying anything, only pulling him back against him. They'd made out in Kei's bedroom before leaving, but it hadn't been like that, not that desperate, not that final.

“It's only a few weeks,” Kei said, maybe more to himself than to Tetsurou. “I know it's only a few weeks.”

He knew it, and he knew those weeks would go fast. He knew that he would be back to his old routines on the very next day, Kuroo pushed to a corner of his mind, albeit a very pleasant one. He knew that they would talk in between; he knew that he could survive without those hands on his body, without this mouth on his, he knew it because he'd done it before, he'd spent most of the first sixteen years of his life unaware that it would ever be like this. That there would be such a need. That you could be starving for another human being. For a voice, for a touch, for a taste, for a mere presence, a mere existence.

He could do it. He was rational enough to know that he could.

So why was it so hard to let go?

Eventually, he found his breath again, his head pressed against Tetsurou's chest, Tetsurou's hand at the back of his neck. He took a big gulp of air before finally moving away.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay.”

Tetsurou simply nodded, still silent.

He remained so until they were back inside the train station.

“Can I?”

Kei looked down to see him holding his hand out. He hesitated. Just long enough for Tetsurou to pull it away.

“Forget it, it's fine, we don't have to-”

“Yes.”

It was a busy area of a busy city. There were few chances of anyone spotting him. And if they did, it was a problem for later.

Tetsurou's hand felt warm in his, maybe from spending so much time stroking Kei's back. They walked close, so that only the most observant passer-by would notice what was happening.

They headed straight to the quays without even consulting each other. There was no time left for a coffee any more.

It turned out Tetsurou's train was already there. Kei had been hoping for a delay, knowing all the while that it probably wouldn't happen.

“I guess this is it, then,” Tetsurou muttered.

Kei nodded. And let go.

“Thanks for coming all the way.”

“It was a pleasure. Truly. Please give my best to your family. And Yamaguchi. And, while you're at it, if you can find some snide comment for your captain and pretend it came from me, it'd be great.”

“I'll do my best.”

“I know. You always do.”

Tetsurou was holding his backpack on one shoulder, and Kei thought of when he'd seen him in front of his school, two days and a lifetime ago.

“It was a nice weekend,” he said.

“We'll get more,” was Kuroo's reply, accompanied by his first smile in a while – not a grin, though, but that was good enough. “I promise.”

“You should hurry. Your train will leave in five minutes.”

“I'm sure I can find my seat in two. If necessary.”

“As you wish.”

A lot can happen in a hundred and eighty seconds.

In this case, though, nothing did. Everything that had to be said had been said already. It was just a matter of getting one last look at each other in the flesh. Or maybe one last delaying of the inevitable.

Oddly enough, now that the countdown was coming to an end, Kei felt calmer. Another countdown was slowly starting in its place; one that couldn't go fast enough.

“I'll see you at the next training camp, then,” was the last thing he said.

“That, you will,” were Tetsurou's last words to him.

Until the next time.

 

* * *

 

He didn't wait for the train to leave. As soon as Tetsurou was gone out of his sight, Kei took out his headphones and strode out of the station.

There was a text from Akiteru on his phone.

“ _Need a lift home?_ ”

He didn't answer it.

His bus was conveniently waiting for him at the designated stop. He'd have to make a couple of changes to get all the way home, unless he walked, but that would have meant going through the same streets he'd used with Tetsurou, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do that just yet, at silly as it sounded.

Kei sat down at the back of the vehicle and turned the music up slightly. Waiting for it to take him away. Maybe he should have brought his books with him to study on the way home.

Yes, he should really have thought of that.

His phone buzzed. Yamaguchi this time.

“ _Hope you're okay. See you tomorrow?_ ”

A sigh. He went to put the phone back in his pocket, changed his mind at the last second.

“ _See you tomorrow,_ " he texted back.

That would have to be enough.

He barely noticed it when the bus started. Kei closed his eyes, still waiting for his mind to lose itself in the song.

A few minutes passed before his phone buzzed one final time.

“ _Miss you._ ”

He pictured Tetsurou sending the text, a copy opened on his lap, maybe even holding a pen in his mouth. Or maybe simply looking out the window, staring at nothing, as he was doing himself.

“ _Miss you too._ ”

 

* * *

 

The moment he got through the doorway, he saw that Akiteru was waiting for him, leaning against the wall. Kei simply nodded before taking off his shoes, knowing that such a small gesture wouldn't be able to satisfy his brother.

“So.”

“Just say what you have to say. I don't have much time.”

He wanted to lock himself in his bedroom, maybe try to finish his homework before dinner. Or maybe simply lay on his bed, headphones on. He'd try to wait as long as he could before taking out that stupid T-shirt. To rely on his own memory of Tetsurou's scent. Maybe he would still be able to find it in his bed. Or maybe he wouldn't need it at all. Grow up a bit.

“When are you going to Tokyo next?”

“Three or four weeks. We're still waiting on an exact date.”

“You should know soon, though.”

“Yeah.”

“It'll go fast.”

Kei got up, shot Akiteru a glance, saw his brother sigh and get closer. One step, two steps.

“Long-distance relationships are tough, eh?”

So maybe Kei wasn't that surprised that Akiteru had figured it out. It still hit him hard, though.

For a while, he wasn't sure what to answer. Then he sighed.

“Yeah. They are.”

Then, just as he had feared, Akiteru came closer still, before wrapping his arms around him.

Kei let him.

“Will he be able to come over for your birthday, you think? I mean, the weekend after.”

“No. He'll have training then and he really can't miss it. Plus the spring tournament prelims are getting close for us too, so it's not as if I'll be off either.”

“And what if I drove you to Tokyo on the Saturday evening and we came back Sunday night? I mean, I have some friends there that I could stay with, so it'd be fine. Pending mom's approval of course.”

Kei's eyes widened in shock. He opened his mouth, but once again couldn't find his words.

“I-”

“It'd be no trouble, Kei. I swear.”

He nodded.

“Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

The hug finally ended. They couldn't look each other in the eye, though, Kei's gaze set on the stairs.

“Thanks,” he repeated nonetheless. “Really.”

“Anything for my little bro.”

They both nodded at once, before realising that they had. Akiteru beamed.

“Now,” he finally said. “I'm not saying you should tell mom, but if you come up to the dinner table with puffy eyes, she'll wonder what's going on. So it's up to you.”

Kei didn't have puffy eyes. And he did not plan on having puffy eyes by dinner time.

“Okay,” he replied.

“I'll see you later then.”

He was upstairs before he knew it. On his bed before he even thought of it. Checked his phone.

If Akiteru came through with his offer, it would make it two weeks instead of a potential four. It'd only be for a day, though. But still. Two weeks.

He could handle two weeks.

Kei started texting.

“ _So. About my birthday._ ”

He waited for Tetsurou's answer, smiling to himself.

Two weeks.

Yes. That was definitely doable.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, once again, thank you. Thank you for reading, commenting, suscribing, adding kudos.
> 
> I tried not to make the end too bittersweet. It was hard. Actually, the whole chapter was hard to write. I started "Weekend in Sendai" as a cute fluffy fic, not really realising that well, the weekend _would_ have to end at some point. And so would the fic. (Yeah, I know, it's only three chapters, but for me, it's actually quite a lot)
> 
> I do hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading so far! I know, I know, not much plot - it's kind of the fluff version of a PWP, but I guess it's what I like to write!
> 
> I'm hoping to be finished with chapter 2 in the next few days :-)


End file.
